GARDEN MEDIA GROUP
Rosa 'Elle'

ARE YOU READY for a black delphinium? How about a purple hydrangea with each petal outlined in white? Or a citrus-scented rose named after a fashion magazine?

It's kind of like having one of those cartoon devils on one shoulder and an angel on the other. The angel demurely, hopelessly reminds that proven, dependable plants make a garden while that little fork-tailed devil whispers temptations in the other ear . . .

The quest is all, newest is best, and there's always space for fresh acquisitions — in springtime, anyway, when juicy new plants hit the market. And we hit the nurseries.

GARDEN MEDIA GROUP
Rosa 'Yellow Sunblaze'


GARDEN MEDIA GROUP
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Angel Song'

Bred by the House of Meilland in the South of France, 'Elle' is one classy new rose. This shell-pink hybrid tea won medals for its citrus fragrance, is advertised as disease resistant, and blooms all season.

Someone has finally invented a miniature shrub rose. R. 'White Drift' offers both a spicy scent and snowy, open flowers only an inch across. Also for the small garden is R. 'Yellow Sunblaze,' a bright lemon ever-blooming miniature no larger than a chrysanthemum plant.

Halo hydrangeas, bred in Japan, are mopheads so called because every petal is neatly encircled in snowy white. H. macrophylla 'Angel Song' has grape-colored flowers trimmed in white; 'Angel Lace' has flatter, lacier blossoms in hot pink. One of the most talked about new plants this spring is H. macrophylla 'Lady in Red' with foliage and flowers that turn color spring through fall, ending up with burgundy-rose flowers set against purple, red-veined leaves. This plant even has its own Web page at www.ladyinredhydrangea.com.

Log House Plants in Oregon distributes its collection widely to nurseries in our area, thank goodness, because they produce some of the most exciting perennials around. Delphinium elatum 'Darkness Visible' is the world's first black delphinium. This stately spook grows 4 feet tall, its richly toned blooms a stunning backdrop to brighter flowers.

COURTESY OF LOGHOUSE PLANTS
Viola 'Pippin Took'


COURTESY OF LOGHOUSE PLANTS
Lavendula augustifolia 'Fashionably Late'

Perhaps a prettier, if not so curious, choice would be the new, sweet-faced Viola 'Pippin Took' in subtle shades of lavender and gold. Or maybe Lavendula augustifolia 'Fashionably Late' that blooms a month after other lavenders have given it up. This shrubby little gray-green plant has strongly scented violet spikes from late August through September.

The desire for more drought-tolerance choices is driving the coneflower revolution, and now there's the brand new Echinacea 'Mango Meadowbrite' with soft gold-orange petals surrounding a slightly darker cone. A good cut flower, it grows 2 to 3 feet and is a butterfly magnet.

Watch for the new orange E. 'Art's Pride' from England, though it probably won't reach our shores until next year, with a promised scent of orange tea. Count on the British to come up with a flower smelling of their favorite brew.

For dry shade, there are a couple of new euphorbias. E. amygdaloides 'Orange Grove' has chartreuse flowers that fade to orange atop red-tinted foliage. Euphorbia 'Purple Preference' has smoky-blue foliage topped with ginger-toned flowers.

COURTESY OF CHICAGO BOTANICAL GARDEN
Echinacea 'Mango Meadowbrite'

What would spring be without the latest heuchera? The deepest-colored is the new H. 'Obsidian' with glossy, scalloped leaves that are proving more sun tolerant than other dark-leafed forms.

Joy Creek Nursery in Oregon is introducing an explosion of an ornamental grass called Miscanthus 'Gold Bar.' Remarkable for its fluffy fan shape as well as the intensely gold bars marking its foliage, this miscanthus stays mid-sized and tidy.

The new Clematis 'Velvet Night' and Clematis 'Sun Dance,' both from Joy Creek, sound intriguing. The latter has creamy yellow flowers with purple anthers followed by a profusion of silky seed heads. 'Velvet Night' has dark reddish-purple foliage in spring and starry white, scented flowers.

COURTESY OF LOGHOUSE PLANTS
Miscanthus 'Gold Bar'

Need a scaffold for those clematis? Black tulip magnolia (M. x soulangeana 'JURmag1') has tulip-shaped burgundy flowers and tops out at 15 to 20 feet. Picture this underplanted with a cluster of the new snowberries dripping with large, glossy fruit that persists into winter. Symphoricarpos 'Charming Fantasy' has white berries, the fruit of 'Scarlet Pearl' is seriously pink. Both are drought tolerant and beloved by birds.

Valerie Easton is a Seattle free-lance writer and contributing editor for Horticulture magazine. Her e-mail address is valeaston@comcast.net.